Sandinista

[ san-duh-nee-stuh; Spanish sahn-dee-nees-tah ]

noun

, plural San·di·nis·tas [san-d, uh, -, nee, -st, uh, z, sahn-dee-, nees, -tahs].

1. a member of the Nicaraguan revolutionary movement that took control of Nicaragua in 1979.

Sandinista

/ ˌsændɪˈniːstə /

noun

1. 1. one of a left-wing group of revolutionaries who overthrew President Somoza in 1979 and formed a socialist coalition government. The Sandinistas were opposed militarily by the US-backed Contras during the 1980s and were defeated in a general election in 1990
   2. ( as modifier )

      the Sandinista revolution

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sandinista¹

First recorded in 1925–30, in sense “supporter of Sandino”; from Latin American Spanish; Sandino, -ist

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sandinista¹

C20: from Spanish, named after Augusto César Sandino a Nicaraguan general and rebel leader, murdered in 1933

Example Sentences

At the time, the United States was supporting a group known as the Contras, a counterrevolutionary force that sought to overthrow Nicaragua’s left-wing Sandinista government.

From New York Times

At the time, the United States was supporting a group known as the Contras, a counterrevolutionary force that sought to overthrow Nicaragua’s left-wing Sandinista government.

From New York Times

Nicaragua’s government, which has historical links with Palestinian organizations dating back to their support for the 1979 Sandinista revolution, was itself accused earlier this year by U.N.-backed human rights experts of systematic human rights abuses “tantamount to crimes against humanity.”

From Seattle Times

That’s what happened in Nicaragua in 1990, when Sandinista rebel leader Daniel Ortega was defeated after a decade in power, as well when Chileans in a 1988 referendum ousted dictator Augusto Pinochet.

From Seattle Times

Nicaragua’s congress, dominated by Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front, has shuttered more than 3,000 nongovernmental organizations, including Mother Teresa’s charity, creating a major gap in social services especially in rural areas.

From Seattle Times